Odell DeForrest Lysen
April 5, 1918 - January 9, 2005
Obituary
Odell DeForrest Lysen
Long time Burien/Seahurst resident, Odell Lysen died Sunday January 9, 2005 at the age of 86. Dell was born April 5, 1918 in Minneapolis, Minnesota; he was the 5th child of Ole and Else Sandalia Anderson Hise, immigrants from Norway and Sweden, respectively. Else 26, died 11 days later. Ole a “workman of no means” placed his infant twins Odell and Gwendolyn in the Norwegian Lutheran Church Home for Orphans in Minneapolis. Odell and his twin sister Gwendolyn were their mother Else’s second set of twins with in one year. Gwendolyn and Odell were adopted and named by John and Julia Lysen. After the death of his twin sister from spinal meningitis and scarlet fever at age 6 followed by his father’s death from burst appendix several months later in the depths of the great depression, Odell and his mother Julia moved to his maternal Uncle Ralph Olen’s farm outside of Benson, Minnesota. Here Odell worked while attending a one-room country school house. He left Benson before graduating from high school to work in the round house on the Milwaukie Railroad in Minneapolis. He met his future wife Mildred DeHarpporte, a registered nurse while working on the Milwaukie, Railroad. They were married New years Day in 1941. They moved to San Diego, California where Dell attended the Ryan School of Aviation and received his aircraft A&P airframe & power plant mechanic’s licenses and was subsequently hired by Northwest Airlines in Minneapolis where he worked for 40 years until his retirement from Northwest Airlines in Seattle 1981. He was a charter member and founder of the International Association of Machinist’s Union Local 143 at Northwest Airlines in 1946. He served briefly in the Army Air Corps at the end of WWII. Odell was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Mildred in 1998, his twin sister Gwendolyn in 1924 and his older brother Ralph Hise in 1984. Odell is survived by his four children, King Lysen of Burien, Kathy Gehring-Waters Don of SeaTac, Ray Lysen Carol of Lake Tapps, Bert Lysen Melinda of New Mexico, 15 grandchildren, Pollyann Halpern Neil , Zac Lysen Kathy, Josh Lysen Anneli, Luke Lysen, Koosje Lysen, Maria Lysen, Brian Gehring, Brad Gehring Tina, Kim Gehring, Kristine Nickerson, Stephanie Linggi, Raymond Lysen, Benjamin Lysen, Nicole Lysen, and Maribeth Lysen Rodney Clarke and 18 great-grandchildren, Noah and Elliot Halpern, Gabriel, Brooke and Ava Lysen, Nathaniel and Olivia Lysen, Brittanie, Blake, Brooke, and Bailianne Gehring, Stephanie, Samantha and Katie Gehring, Justin Froelich and Tyler Nickerson, Mason and Palmer Linggi. A Rosary will be recited Wednesday, January 12th at 7:00 PM at BONNEY-WATSON Parker Chapel, 900 SW 146th St., Burien 206 244-2320. A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, January 13th at 10:30 AM at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 15236 21st Ave. SW, Seahurst. The family suggests memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association, 12721 30th Ave. NE, Suite 101, Seattle, WA 98125.
He was my great-grandpa, I admit the long and forever lasting relationship he and my great-grandma had. I am getting married in just a few months and can only pray that our love will get us through life strong and always together just like my great grangparents!!!! Lots of Love from their great-grandchild Brittanie Monique Gehring :